DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- David Gilliland edged teammate Ricky Rudd for the pole in Sunday's 49th running of the Daytona 500.

Sixty-one teams began the hunt for NASCAR's biggest prize -- winning "The Great American Race."

With his 48.304-second lap (186.320 mph), Gilliland will have the early advantage of starting out front.

It is Gilliland's second career pole win. His other victory was last October at Talladega.

"The car that all the guys in the shop have prepared for me to come out here today is unbelievable," said Gilliland, who has had a meteoric rise from surprise Busch Series race winner last year to a seat in a 2007 Nextel Cup car.

Alongside Gilliland will be his Robert Yates Racing teammate Rudd, who was second quickest around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.

In 2000, RYR teammates Dale Jarrett and Rudd also swept the front row for the Daytona 500 with Jarrett winning the race.

David Stremme, Juan Montoya and David Ragan made up the top-five.

"I'm just really happy," said former Formula One racing star Montoya after his fast lap. "I think my time and my move to Chip Ganassi and into NASCAR was probably the right move."

Qualifying in this race is different from the other 35 on the 2007 Nextel Cup schedule.

In the Daytona 500, only the front two positions are set after qualifying runs. Positions 3-39 are determined by twin 125-mile events on Thursday afternoon. Those who do not do well in Thursday's qualifying events will be forced to fall back on Sunday's qualifying times to win one of the final four positions in the field.

Owners who finished in the top-35 in owner points in 2005 are guaranteed a spot in the race.

Other drivers of note and their qualifying times: Jeff Gordon (7th), Jimmie Johnson (10th), Matt Kenseth (11th), Kyle Busch (13th), Denny Hamlin (14th), Tony Stewart (19th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (23rd) and Kasey Kahne (28th).

Despite the many lead changes that usually take place in a restrictor-plate race at Daytona (32 lead changes among 18 drivers in 2006), qualifying well generally leads to a good finish. Of the 48 Daytona 500 winnerts, 37 (77%) have started from a top-10 position, nine from the pole.

No driver has ever won all four Speedweeks events -- Budweiser Shootout, Daytona 500 pole, Thursday qualifying race and Daytona 500.

Three drivers have won three of four -- Cale Yarborough (1984), Ken Schrader (1989) and Dale Jarrett (2000).

Last year's winners were: Denny Hamlin (Shootout), Jeff Burton (pole), Elliott Sadler (qualifying race 1), Gordon (qualifying race 2) and Johnson (Daytona 500).

Stewart won Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout.

Thursday's Gatorade Duels at Daytona begin at 2 p.m. and the Daytona 500 is scheduled to begin on Sunday at 3:15 p.m.